If you add all-season tires and run the car as a 4.2 liter engine (not in sport or sport +) in snow mode, it should move on plowed streets.

 

I took the plunge in Chicago to use the RCF as my daily driver. I am undecided on getting winter rims but certainly will get winter tires. One option I took (for a bargained 11 bucks a month) was the tire and wheel protection which can cover the road debris damage. It would cover any salt scratched on my wheels so at lease turn in I am not responsible. Not a bad deal to me especially with all the potholes around the Midwest.

https://www.lexusfinancial.com/pub/w...eel_protection

 

It is probably not ideal as a winter car, but perhaps you have a winter vehicle?

I have a RWD GS, and more than once the rear wheels are on ice and have no traction while the front non-driving wheels are on asphalt. The car is stuck like a beached whale. I think it is extra embarrassing to have a luxury vehicle stuck in snow. People just don't give you sympathy.

 

Unfortunately this is my one and only besides my wife's ancient minivan. I took a risk and didn't want to be pigeonholed with limited AWD. I did that with my 2104 E class and wanted a completely different car. We will see if Bizzaks give me a chance. I figure if my boss in his m5 drives 25 more miles to work daily than me and is still alive it must work somehow.

I do worry about what you have stated and it makes me nervous

 

A good set of winter tires and some smart use of the throttle is all you really need. These cars also come with a "snow" mode that will start you in 2nd gear and make the gear changes less abrupt in an effort to not upset the car. The ISF was incredible in the snow, and I will imagine the RC F is no different.

Driving in the snow has less to do with the car you are driving and most to do with your contact patch with the road, your tires. As long as you maintain good contact and traction you will be fine. You just don't want to apply too much torque that you start to spin the tires.

My few of my last winter cars were 2 ISFs, e46 M3, and an S2000, and all of these were driven 90 miles a day in Wisconsin winters.

 

Everybody had good suggestions and valid points.

I lived in Denver, Colorado for over 25 years (in California now). Denver was prone to harsh blizzards and winters so it snowed quite heavily there at times.

I drove front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, and all wheel drive cars while I was there.

Front and All Wheel Drive cars definitely felt a lot more secure and stable during the winters. I definitely drove more confidently; however, a Rear Wheel Drive car with good set of Blizzak snow tires do wonders!! I confidently drive on Blizzak's ona RWD car much like I did with a FWD car. You do enter into a danger zone though if you push too hard much like anything else so I'd still drive with caution.

As long as you drive carefully and make sure to get good snow tires for the winter you'll probably be okay.

The best scenario would be to get the RC-F and then get a winter beater that has AWD if at all possible. If that's not possible, get winter wheels and tires and drive carefully.

 

Thanks for the confidence booster. Those WI roads can be brutal. I travel monthly to visit family 20 min North of Milwaukee.

 

Yea I live in Cedarburg and work up in Sheboygan county, I swear there are days they don't even send out the plows. Luckily, I can work from home if I ever need to, so if it looks too bad out, I will just stay indoors.

 

Hey, I was at the PGA Champioships in Kohler and I think I saw your RC-F somewhere. I am thinking it was you as I doubt there would another RC-F in the Sheboygan area.

 

Yea I am up in the Plymouth area. If you saw an Obsidian RC F, it was more than likely mine. I have yet to see another one on the road. Were you in an ISF?

 

Nope I was in my wife's A5 convertible. It was night time, I do not remember the road we were on but the first thing I saw coming at us was the familiar Lexus grill and LEDS. At first I did not realize that it was an RC-F but when I heard the V-8, bingo! I just saw my first RC-F on the road. Anyways, I might be back to owning an F model but I am not sure which.

Go Packers!

 

what are you talking about?

Is there truth to this? displacement is displacement

 

I don't think so, at least nothing I've ever seen. Snow mode just starts the car in 2nd gear and adjusts shift points and traction control. Same as it was in the IS F.

I also wouldn't suggest running all seasons on this car. Snows or don't drive would be my opinion. Not worth the risk to run all seasons.

 

First of all, there're winters to winters. In the desert southwest, you're even fine with the stock summer tires, but you have to be careful and mindful that colder temperatures significantly degrade summer tires' performance. You can break the rear loose much easier, and your stopping distances are going to be significantly more than on a hot summer day. All-season tires (even the high-performance ones, which are probably the only kind available in our stock sizes) are perfectly fine for most areas, with the same caveats as the summer tires when the temps dip significantly, and it's wet. You'd only need snow tires if you live in the north/snowbelt. Remember you eat snow tires for breakfast on anything other than snow. But I assume most of us own other cars so when push comes to shove, there's no need to take chances on a RWD/front-engined car in the snow, regardless of tires fitted. And then there's the possible damage to the low-hanging front end. Bottom line, the RC-F and similar sports cars are not suitable for winters in the north IMO, regardless of tire choice. But ALL OF US have to be careful driving this car in winter with the stock max summer tires (that's what the PSSs are, just below the highest rated summer tire available -extreme summer).

As a final comment, there're over a dozen different tire sub-categories, meaning many different summer and alll-season tires. For instance, the Michelin Pilot A/Ss, which are at the highest A/S sub-category (ultra high-performance all-season), are both snow rated AND capable of 186-mph... so nothing to do with the A/S tires found on a Corolla. By the way, this would be the best tire for most folks (those not pushing the car to its limits), since those limits are quite high, last much longer than summer tires, and they're obviously much better in winter/wet/cold conditions. Just an FYI.

 

Somewhat.

“By adjusting the valve opening, we can change the engine’s performance – making it run like an Atkinson cycle engine. This gives you an equivalent downsizing of 800cc, and the efficiency of a 4.2-litre engine.” -Yaguchi-san